Larwo shama used to be found abundantly in the central and eastern part of Java. However, today it can only be found in few places.

The population in its range is extremely small and has been experiencing a steep decline due to trapping for cage-bird trade. Ex-situ conservation breeding is carried out in PCBA due to the above concerns, even though this taxon has not been evaluated on subspecies level.

The population of this subspecies has been decreasing due to habitat destruction and trapping for the cage-bird trade.

The population in its range is small and has been experiencing a steep decline. Ex-situ conservation breeding is carried out in PCBA due to the above concerns even though this taxon has not been evaluated on subspecies level.